An introduction to housing politics in Seattle
If you’re trying to understand why housing in Seattle is so expensive and what we can do about it, this page should provide a basic overview of the issues. We’re always trying to improve this page, so if you have questions, please reach out to contact@tech4housing.org.
How did housing get so expensive?
How Burrowing Owls Lead To Vomiting Anarchists (Or SF’s Housing Crisis Explained). The seminal long-form piece from Kim-Mai Cutler for TechCrunch. Probably no other single piece of writing has done so much to bring so many people in the tech community into housing activism.
East Of Palo Alto’s Eden: Race And The Formation Of Silicon Valley. A follow up to the Burrowing Owls story, with a focus on racial equity in Palo Alto.
Why haven't we solved this already?
Housing can’t be a good investment and affordable. Housing is expensive in a large part because Americans want housing to be ever more expensive.
Five Extreme Models to Combat High Rents. There are big cities with inexpensive housing, but they all involve significant trade-offs.
What about homelessness?
Homeless in Seattle: The roots of a crisis, Seattle’s 30-year fight to end homelessness and What next for Seattle’s homeless? A three-part series on homelessness in Seattle, from its roots in "urban renewal" through the many failed attempts to end homelessness.
What would better housing policy look like?
Yes, You Can Build Your Way to Affordable Housing. Whether it's built by the government or the private market, whether you build up or sprawl out, the key to affordable housing is abundant housing.
Why Falling Home Prices Could Be a Good Thing. Building more housing in high opportunity cities would go a long way towards addressing inequality in America.
Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda. Seattle's HALA plan is not one silver bullet. It's 65 practical and incremental changes that together represent an important step forward for housing abundance and affordability. Up to date information available from the City of Seattle's HALA page.